Cleaning Rust from a steal tank.

[Frackingawesome]

You'd have to find out how it gets there. You should not get any rust with fills at all, the air should be super dry. I think the place where you get fills has a faulty compressor that does not remove all moisture.

I have 5 steel tanks, never any rust inside and I dive salt.

I have about 10 other steal tanks that have never had any rust... but these are the ones i use the most and travel with the most.

 

[Texasguy]

They get filled everywhere from Florida keys and cave country to SoCal... so i have no idea where it might have happened...

If you had friends joining you on these dives and also with steel tanks, maybe you can ask about their experiences, do they have rust. Then you can use a method of elimination.

If a compressor does not remove water, it might as well not remove other stuff too. Your lungs could be all moldy.

 

[lowviz]

BTW, it's funny that someone from Pennsylvania would misspell steel.

It isn't steel. What is that stuff?

It is still. Like from a still mill. I'm from Pgh, BTW...

 

[Frackingawesome]

If you had friends joining you on these dives and also with steel tanks, maybe you can ask about their experiences, do they have rust. Then you can use a method of elimination.

in the future i will be more careful but right now i am just wondering if the tanks should be/can be saved.

 

[lowviz]

right now i am just wondering if the tanks should be/can be saved.

@abnfrog You care to join this thread?

 

[Texasguy]

in the future i will be more careful but right now i am just wondering if the tanks should be/can be saved.

Steel tanks happen to rust inside on rare occasions. Tumble them. No biggie. AS LONG AS THE THREAD IS IN GOOD CONDITION. Rusty thread is a tank killer. Like a sabot. After a cloud of rust settles, it is all over.

 

[greeniguana]

The flash rust probably resulted from the hydro place not drying them. Only takes a few hours to get rusty if they are exposed to humidity.

 

[James79]

Sounds like your LDS is..... more interested in profit than honesty, and trying to take you for a ride! If they passed hydro, that is the legal piece successful. Tumbling will remove the rust, and a visual inspection will verify if there is any pitting from it that is out of tolerances (scuba industry self imposed tolerances!). As others have stated, you shouldn't need a tumble unless they rust again.... which they shouldn't unless you get wet fills.
In short, they most likely can be saved. And if they can, they should. But I would not trust a shop that already tried to twist your arm into buying new tanks to do the tumble and vis.

Respectfully,

James

 

[lowviz]

Rusty thread is a tank killer. Like a sabot. After a cloud of rust settles, it is all over.

Please explain in more detail. It sounds like you are saying that a cloud of rust on the threads will fail the tank.

 

[Texasguy]

Please explain in more detail. It sounds like you are saying that a cloud of rust on the threads will fail the tank.

No, with a reference to a sabot I was making a word play between a scuba tank and a military vehicle. Please keep up.